Display rack



K- W. KELLER Sept. 3, 1963 DISPLAY max 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed D90. 1,1960 INVENTOR.

KENNETH W, KELLER BY u W H Qaddw A TTORNE Y P 1963 K. w. KELLER3,102,640

I DISPLAY RACK Filed Dec. 1, 1960 2 s t -s g INVEN TOR.

KENNETH W. KELLER BY w H. wu

A T TORIVE Y United States Patent 3,102,646 DHSPLAY RACK Kenneth W.Keller, Westlield, N..l., assign'or to Warner- Larnbert PharmaceuticalCompany, Morris Plains, N.J-, a corporation of Delaware Filed Bee. 1,196b, Ser. No. 72,936 1 Claim. (Cl. 211-128) The present inventionrelates to a display rack and more particularly to an improved displayrack for the storage and display of packaged products wherein thestorage capacity is readily adjustable to conform to the volume ofproducts to be displayed.

The sales volume of merchandise is frequently influenced to asignificant extent by the manner in which it is displayed to thepurchasing public. This is particularly true when many competingproducts are offered for the same general uses. Exemplary of suchproducts are packaged medicinal products where attractive display isfrequently difficult due to the small s'mes of the packages and thesmall display areas available in many pharmacies Where such products areoffered for sale. While various forms of display racks are available,these are normally of fixed capacity with a result that as packages aresold, vacant spaces develop in the rack. This is not conducive toefiicient storage and may well induce the retailer to refill thevacancies with competing brands, thus diluting the impact upon theconsumer desired by the manufacturer of the product originallydisplayed.

An object of this invention is to provide a display rack for theattractive and efficient display of packaged merchandise.

Another object of this invention is to provide a product display rack inwhich the area available for merchandise display is readily adjustableto conform to'the quantity of merchandise to be displayed.

Other objects and the advantages of this invention will become apparentfrom the following detailed description.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a view in perspective of the assembled display rack of thisinvention;

FIG. 2. is a view in perspective of a tray extension element separatedfrom the display rack illustrated in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a detail view in section of a portion of the display rack inFIG. 1 illustrating the manner in which the tray extensions aresupported and guided and held in any desired laterally extendedposition.

Like reference numerals indicate like parts in the several views of theabove drawings illustrating said display rack.

Referring now to the drawing, and more especially to FIG. 1, the displayrack of this invention includes a frame 11 which supports a plurality ofmerchandise carrying trays 12, so arranged in offset manner so that thelower tray is located at the front of the raok and each succeedingvertical tray is located progressively further toward the rear of therack. While the display rack illustrated in FIG. 1 contains three suchtrays 12,. this number is merely exemplary. End members 13 are fastenedto the frame 11 and extend in a forward direction at each end of thetrays 12 and act as arms to aid in supporting merchandise therein. Thefront and rear sides of each of the trays 12 terminate in downwardlyturned lips 14.

Associated with each tray 12 are two tray extensions 15, one at each endof each tray 12, having front and rear vertical side surfaces 16 asillustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3. The side surfaces '16 of the trayextensions 15 are slidably engaged so as to be able freely to telescopewithin the downwardly turned lips 14 of the trays 12.

BJUZJMQ Patented Sept. 3, 1963 The tray extensions 15 are supported ateach end of the display rack by leg members 1? by means of bolts orother fastening means 2t which engage the end surfaces 17 of the trayextensions through holes, for example the hole 18 shown in the endmember 17 of the extension 15 illustrated in FIG. 2. The leg members 19rest upon feet 201.

Each tray extension 15 is provided with a centrally located longitudinalslot 22 through which protrudes a stud 23 fastened to the frame 11 andthe bottom surface of each tray 12,. One such stud 23 is associated witheach tray extension 15.

A decorative front panel 24 is provided on which may be printedadvertising and promotional copy.

The storage capacity of the display rack of the present invention may bereadily adjusted by either an inward or an outward movement of the legmembers; 19. Movement of each leg member results in a simultaneoustelescoping movement of the tray extensions 15" associated therewith.Maximum outward movement is limited since when the inward end of eachcentral slot 22 in each tray extension 15 comes into contact wtih thestud 23, no further outward motion is possible. This prevents thepossibility of any tray extensions being separated from the displayrack. FIG. 3 illustrates a tray extension in such an outermost position.At the same time, the tray extensions are guided within the downwardturned lips 14 of the trays 12, thereby insuring that the trayextensions move outward in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axisof the display rack.

It is understood that the foregoing detailed description is given merelyby way of illustration and that many variations may be made thereinwithout departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having described my invention, what I desire to secure by Letters Patentis:

A display rack comprising a supporting skeleton frame- Work forming aplurality of steps rising upwardly from front to rear, and having ahorizontally disposed shallow tray fixedly mounted on each of saidsteps, each fixed tray comprising a horizontal supporting surface havingvertically disposed front and rear surfaces integral therewith each ofwhich terminate in a downwardly turned lip thereby forming a channel, an[auxiliary tray at each end of said fixed tray engaging the lowersurface of each of said fixed trays and adapted for outward horizontalmovement relative thereto, said auxiliary trays each comprising ahorizontal supporting surface and having vertically disposed front andrear surfaces slidably mounted in and engaged by the front and rearchannels of each fixedly mounted horizontal tray whereby said extensiontrays are each adapted for movement outwardly and for telescopicmovement inwardly with respect to said fixedly mounted trays, stop meanscomprising a stud in the fixed tray in frictional engagement with alateral slot in the horizontal surface of said auxiliary tray forlimiting the out-' ward horizontal movement of said auxiliary trays anda pair of unitary frames supporting the outer ends of each of saidauxiliary trays whereby said auxiliary trays may be moved outwardly ortelescoped inwardly in' unison relative to said fixed trays.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS375,519 Walker Dec. 27, 1887 883,001 Curtis Mar. 24, 1908 1,542,485Ebert June/16, 1925 1,895,283 Friedemann Ian. 24, 1933

